Worker Bee At Another Trucking Company
Margate,#2Consumer Suggestion
Sat, January 08, 2005
It is unfortunate that this experience happened to you. While I am employed by a competitor, I have to come to USF Dugans defense. 1st off, I am assuming this was an e-bay or internet purchase. When folks buy and sell on-line they look for the very best value period. Once the purchase is made, the next step is getting it from point "A" to point "B" unless you happen to love across town. UPS and FED-Ex make a mint off of the smaller items, but larger items that cannot be shipped parcel are left for LTL companies (Less than Truckload) like USF Dugan , ABF, Yellow, etc... Your best hope as a buyer is that the seller has a relationship with a trucking company, as they will get the best value and generally have a better idea on how to package and ship the product. If you buy your video game from an individual, a lot is at stake. You are assuming that the seller has a rudementary idea on how to ship your game. You would hope that he would put your game on a skid, banded, and wrap the machine and skid with an appropriate amount of cardboard with the correct thickness to avoid rub marks like you described. Your machine was packed on a trailer with at least 15-20 other shipments as it made its way across the country. Trucking companies must do this to make money. I am sure that USF Dugan would have been more than glad to ensure that yours was the only shipment on the trailer from the time it was picked up to the time it delivered to the terminal had the shipper, and unltimately you, been prepared to foot the bill for the trip, which in reality would have been in excess of $2.00 per mile. It seems apperant that something came ionto contact with your game though, and that packaging was not the issue. I am sure that USF aknowledges this point. The fact that Dugan aknowledged the release value alone says that they are admitting that something happened in transit. The .10 / per pound is the industry standard (the same for your used household goods by the way) for used machines, and is a value that is set by the Federal Government, not by indivdual companies. The Release value comes from trucking companies getting burned over the years by shippers mis-representing the merchandise that they shipped, and submitting claims for much more than the merchandise was worth. In the future: Know who is transporting the product. Talk to the local terminal to ensure adequate liability. You may elect to purchase extra liability protection for your shipment, but it is costly. I believe your beef shold lie with the shipper. They contracted the transportation at the very cheapest price, offering you only .10 / pound protection, when they could have elected to bring you into the mix. Better luck next time.